Looking back at Vietnam's defeat to Malaysia: Mr. Kim Sang-sik could not create a miracle

TPO - The Vietnamese team was "convinced" by Malaysia, who were superior thanks to their naturalized players, on the night of June 10 at Bukit Jalil.

The Vietnamese team took the field with two naturalized players, goalkeeper Nguyen Filip and defender Cao Pendant Quang Vinh. In attack, Mr. Kim Sang-sik was missing prominent faces such as Nguyen Xuan Son and Van Toan due to injuries. Cong Phuong also left at the last minute for the same reason.

Nguyen Quang Hai has gradually become accustomed to sitting on the bench in important matches for the Vietnamese national team. He used to be an irreplaceable player under coach Park Hang-seo. Quang Hai’s declining form comes from many reasons, but this is also a normal rule in football.

In contrast, Malaysia has "transformed" compared to the ASEAN Cup 2024, less than a year ago. They have a large and quality squad of naturalized players, superior in both physique and physical strength. This is expected to be a challenge for coach Kim Sang-sik.

This was exactly what happened when Malaysia completely dominated the game and continuously put pressure on Vietnam's defense. The midfield became fragile due to the lack of enough personnel to control and coordinate the ball.

Hoang Duc alone is not enough for the Vietnamese national team's midfield to resist the opponent. The former midfielder of Viettel The Cong lacks a partner of the same caliber as Do Hung Dung before, while he is only good at attacking.

The early injury that forced central defender Thanh Chung to leave the field made the Vietnamese team's defense even more fragile. Having to compete for the ball with tall, fast and physically strong players from Malaysia became a challenge for Vietnamese defenders like Duy Manh.

It is very difficult to keep up with fast and physical players like Figueiredo or Holgado. These are all million-dollar strikers from Malaysia.

The first two goals conceded by the Vietnamese team would have been unlikely if they had not been naturalized players with quality and class.

Nguyen Filip played very well, with many excellent saves, but that was not enough for the Vietnamese team to avoid a heavy 0-4 defeat against Malaysia. The chance of winning a ticket to the 2027 Asian Cup finals for coach Kim Sang-sik and his team became more fragile.

Quang Hai's entry into the field did not help the Vietnamese team improve the game. Overall, Malaysia played better and deservedly won. It shows that Vietnamese football is under considerable pressure due to the naturalization policy of its opponents.

Coach Kim Sang-sik was unable to make a difference when the quality of the squad and the preparation of the Vietnamese team were inferior to their opponents. After that, the Vietnamese team will need to re-evaluate everything to have better preparation.

Tieu Phung (photo by Huu Pham)

Source: https://tienphong.vn/nhin-lai-tran-thua-cua-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-truoc-malaysia-ong-kim-sang-sik-khong-the-tao-nen-phep-mau-post1750117.tpo